HAYWARD — Wild cow milking will continue at the Rowell Ranch Rodeo, as park district directors have rejected an animal-rights activist’s request to ban the event.

Eric Mills of Action for Animals asked for the ban after a cow died during this year’s rodeo. The panicked cow was euthanized after she jumped over a corral fence and broke her neck.

“I am absolutely flabbergasted that none of our concerns were addressed,” Mills said after the meeting.

Directors instead followed a committee recommendation that the rodeo rules remain essentially the same. The only change is adding language from a state law requiring that the on-site veterinarian report any injuries to the California Veterinary Medical Board within 48 hours after the rodeo.

Rodeo supporters and animal-rights activists packed the Hayward Area Recreation and Park District board room and adjoining hallway Monday. About 40 people spoke.

“Please, please don’t change our Western tradition,” said Ken Paddock, of Oakdale, of the California High School Rodeo Association.

Wild cow milking is a timed event during which a two-person team ropes and milks a cow.

After the cow was euthanized at this year’s May rodeo, a safety rider was stationed at the end of the arena to slow the animals and prevent them from jumping over the corral fence. That practice will continue, directors were told.

“Steps were taken to prevent that from happening again,” said Dr. Tina Faulkner, the veterinarian who euthanized the injured cow. It was the only injury she has seen during her three years as the rodeo on-site veterinarian, she said. “I work with the best bunch of people at the rodeo. I love doing it, and the rodeo is good for the community,” Faulkner said.

The Rowell Ranch Rodeo, a popular event for 94 years, was inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame this year. It was started by rancher and businessman Harry Rowell, and is now run by a nonprofit group. The rodeo and related events raise money for charities, scholarships and local groups.

The rodeo grounds on the eastern edge of Castro Valley are owned by the Hayward Area Recreation and Park District. As part of the agreement when the district took over the property, a rodeo and junior rodeo are held there each year.

Before Monday’s meeting, the district received letters from animal-rights groups, including the East Bay SPCA, Hayward Friends of Animals, United for Animals and Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society, asking for a ban on wild cow milking. Several rodeo supporters wrote requesting no change in district policy.

Mills and other animal-rights activists also sought a ban on mutton busting, goat tying and electric prods.

Rowell Ranch Rodeo does not have a mutton busting competition, in which young children mount sheep and try to hang on as the animal races off. Neither wild cow milking nor mutton busting are sanctioned Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association events.

“I’m not trying to kill the rodeo, but these extra events do not contribute to the rodeo,” Mills said.

Goat tying is part of junior rodeos. Young people ride a horse across an arena to where a goat is staked by a tether. The riders dismount, catch the goat, throw it to the ground and tie its legs.

The district banned electric prods in chutes for 20 years, but allowed them for safety and emergency reasons starting in 2008. The current policy aligns with state law and Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association standards.

“Electric prodding is inhumane and cruel. I don’t understand why if you want the rodeo, you would continue this practice that many people object to,” said Nel O’Neil, of Castro Valley.

“There’s a time and place to use the prod — when human life is in danger,” said Mike McCaffrey, a Rowell Ranch Rodeo advisory board member. The rodeo’s strict rules ensure the safety of both animals and people, McCaffrey said. Several rodeo boosters spoke of how much they cared for the animals’ well-being.

Directors voted 4-1 to leave the rodeo policy virtually untouched. Minane Jameson, the lone director voting against the proposal, said the rodeo is the park district’s most controversial program.

“What Eric Mills is asking us to do is not out of line,” she said, adding that she believed electric prods should not be allowed. She contacted the manufacturer, who repeatedly told her they are not designed to be used on horses.

“There’s a time to compromise. I’m not getting impression that anyone in this room other than animal-rights people are willing to compromise,” Jameson said.

No other director commented before the vote. Afterward, Director Dennis Waespi said he did not believe animals were abused at the rodeo.

Rebecca Parr is the city editor for the Oakland Tribune and Hayward Daily Review. She previously covered the Hayward area as a reporter. She has worked in many Bay Area newsrooms and does not miss the commute.